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* Search warrants executed at Flowers’ regional schools office
Investigators from Cook County state’s attorney’s office this morning raided the Suburban Cook County Regional Office of Education in Westchester in connection with an ongoing investigation into Supt. Charles Flowers.
Numerous purchases made on Flowers’ regional office credit card were of a personal nature, the audit shows. Credit card statements obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests detail thousands of dollars spent on food and restaurants, a trip to a hair salon and limousine charges. Documents also reveal that Flowers began his tenure with a credit card limit of $5,000, and it is now at $20,000.
This is all coming from an office where Flowers hired family and friends, including a nephew whom the audit shows was paid to eat lunch. Flowers approved $15,000 in cash advances for his executive assistant - who is also his sister - and another employee. In addition, two assistant superintendents each collected their $80,000-plus paychecks along with $12,000 and $9,400 in grant money for “consulting services” they did during normal working hours, according to the audit.
* ‘He just took the money and ran’
When schools chief Charles Flowers borrowed $190,000 for operations from the Cook County Board a year ago, he had until Tuesday to pay it back.
In a move that Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman (R-Orland Park) called “embarrassing,” the embattled Suburban Cook Country Regional Office of Education superintendent did not make good on the loan.
“He just took the money and ran. And he’s still running,” Gorman said
* County monitor sees progress - but not enough - on political hiring
* Daley’s new direction: Odd Todd out!
It’s already begun: Sneed hears Mayor Daley has not only pulled the plug on supporting embattled Cook County Board President Todd Stroger for re-election, but he has hatched plans to back Ald. Toni Preckwinkle for the Cook County Board presidency.
* Your Stroger tax turns 1
* Council threatens own budget analysis. Daley responds: ‘They can analycize anything.’
Chicago aldermen agreed Tuesday to swallow a bitter pill and force it down the throats of all 3,700 non-union city employees: 15 unpaid days off by Dec. 31 to ease the city’s budget crisis.
The 42-to-6 vote was designed to pressure organized labor to agree to similar concessions to avert the need for 1,504 layoffs. But, aldermen also turned up the heat on Mayor Daley.
Burned by the parking meter fiasco and spurned in their demand for specific information about city contracts, aldermen are making noises about hiring their own budget analysts and generating their own spending plan to rival the mayor’s version, just as they did during Council Wars.
“We can’t have a partnership when there is no trust. We can’t make a decision on partial information,” said Ald. Manny Flores (1st).
* Chicago schools cutting 550 workers
The first round of Chicago Public Schools layoffs is set to begin Wednesday when more than 550 administrative employees will be fired as part of a cost-cutting plan, district sources said.
The cuts will come from a pool of about 5,300 non-classroom positions and are expected to result in savings of up to $100 million, sources said. Another round of layoffs is expected later in the summer as the district’s new CEO, Ron Huberman, is looking at up to 1,000 layoffs.
The nation’s third-largest school district hopes to save as much as $200 million from layoffs and cutting contracts, but even that would amount to less than half of a budget deficit pegged at $475 million to $600 million, depending on state aid.
* Federal funds could avert firefighter layoffs
Federal grant money may save the jobs of Springfield firefighters.
The Springfield Fire Department could lose 29 employees, more than 12 percent of its 229-member staff, according to the scenarios provided by the mayor’s office. Springfield’s International Association of Fire Fighters Local 37 represents 214 of those employees.
* Deputies could go on 12-hour shifts this weekend
* Chicago aldermen take on Daley’s plan for 2016 Olympics
Ald. Manuel Flores (1st) introduced an ordinance to cap the city’s liability for 2016 losses at $500 million. Just 10 other aldermen in the 50-member council signed as co-sponsors. “I remain a supporter of the Games, but it has to be done in a thoughtful and transparent manner,” Flores said. “What types of guarantees are we offering?”
Restrictions like what Flores proposed could severely harm Chicago’s bid, several observers said. The International Olympic Committee will choose Oct. 2 between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
* Resolution calls for Chicago 2016 books to be opened to ‘objective’ third-party
Chicago 2016 must open its books to an “objective” third-party — possibly the Civic Federation — for an analysis of the city’s Olympic bid, under a resolution approved by the City Council Tuesday.
The resolution calling for a Civic Federation analysis was co-sponsored by Finance Committee Chairman Edward M. Burke (14th) and Traffic Committee Chairman Pat O’Connor, Daley’s unofficial City Council floor leader. It drew widespread support.
“There’s a lot of people in my community who don’t trust the 2016 committee,” said Ald. Richard Mell (33rd).
* Big-box measure returns to Chicago City Council
The bitter battle that gave birth to the big-box minimum-wage ordinance that was snuffed out by Mayor Daley’s only veto returned to the City Council today.
It happened when Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), business and community leaders turned up the heat on aldermen to give Wal-Mart the go-ahead to build its second Chicago store — and first super-center that sells groceries — at a former Chatham industrial site at 83rd and Stewart.
With the city facing a $300 million budget shortfall and unemployment among African Americans topping 20 percent, Brookins said it makes no sense to block a $64 million project that would create 600 full- and part-time jobs.
Daley has said Brookins’ request “is not gonna fly” because Wal-Mart backers “don’t have enough votes.” The mayor is reluctant to pick a fight with organized labor before the International Olympic Committee’s Oct. 2 vote on a host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
* Chicago Making Plans for Environmental Stimulus Dollars
Chicago will get more than $27 million in Energy Efficient Conservation Block Grants as part of the federal stimulus program. It wants to spend that money retrofitting nearly a thousand intersections with LED traffic signals, greening city facilities, and replacing some alley and street lights with lower wattage designs.
* Homeowners get second shot at combating foreclosure
Starting today and lasting until just before Labor Day, the county’s court system essentially is calling a time out until it can get its arms around an ever-growing mountain of foreclosure cases.
* Congrats! The value of your home has gone down
Notices sent Tuesday to some 20,000 homeowners, excluding condominium owners, in and around Rogers Park show a median 6.1 percent drop in assessed values, according to the Cook County assessor’s office.
“The downturn in the real estate market combined with the increase in foreclosures are having a pronounced impact on the city reassessment,” said Eric Herman, a spokesman for the office.
The assessor’s office slices the county into thirds — city, north suburbs, south suburbs — examining each section once every three years. This year, it’s the city’s turn.
“This will be the first reassessment of Chicago property that has seen a decline in the assessed value in [recent] memory.”
* Refrigerated truck serves as traveling food pantry
The truck will let the food depository double the number of its mobile pantry sites to 20, with an additional 960,000 pounds of food to be distributed in fiscal year 2009-10, spokesman Bob Dolgan said. With the Chicago pilot program as its model, Kraft has committed to spend $4.5 million on 25 trucks that will work in six other cities in the next three years, including New York, San Antonio and Madison, Wis.
Since 2008, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the St. Charles-based Northern Illinois Food Bank each say they have seen a 35 percent surge in need at area food pantries.
“We have had seniors and single mothers and people with disabilities” in the past, she said. “Now we also have professionals whose unemployment has run out.”
* Aldermen want pay-to-park plan at lakefront canceled
A pair of powerful aldermen — Rules Committee Chairman Richard Mell (33rd) and Transportation Committee Chairman Tom Allen (38th) — are demanding that the Park District cancel plans to start charging people this fall to park at lakefront parks and beaches.
The $700,000 plan calls for 4,400 lakefront spaces where parking is now free to cost $1-an-hour while rates at 537 metered spaces double or quadruple.
* Evanston to launch beach improvements at Clark Street
* Outside the ballpark: Proposal would move peddlers, bucket boys farther away from Wrigley
The latest round in a years-long battle over the streets surrounding Wrigley Field began Tuesday when the local alderman introduced a proposal to expand a ban on peddlers and street performers.
Chicago Ald. Thomas Tunney, whose 44th Ward includes the ballpark, is sponsoring a measure to add several blocks to the area where it’s already illegal to bang on buckets or sell food and merchandise from a cart, table or other temporary stand.
“It’s a public safety issue,” Tunney said. “You can’t walk to the park.”
* Chicago population rises for 2nd year in a row
From July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2008, Chicago grew by 20,606 people, according to population estimates released Wednesday by the Census Bureau. That’s more than three times the previous year’s reported increase of 6,400 people, which reversed five consecutive years of population declines.
* Recession means there are more of us
Census data released Wednesday highlight a city resurgence in coastal regions and areas of the Midwest and Northeast, due to a housing crunch, recession and higher gas prices that have slowed migration.
* More security getting aboard on Metra trains
Metra is alerting its riders that they will soon see federal Transportation Security Administration personnel patrolling their commuter trains.
The so-called VIPR teams — that’s short for Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response and pronounced “viper” for those of you keen on law enforcement acronyms — will consist of federal air marshals, transportation security officers, TSA-certified canine teams, surface transportation security inspectors and local law enforcement.
To be clear, “transportation security officers” are those same TSA folks who already order you around at the airport, some with more attitude than others.
* Federal security to patrol Metra trains
A Metra statement says they’ll work with existing security to bolster detection and deterrence. It adds the intention is to use unpredictability to disrupt potential terrorist planning activities.
The statement says the initiative isn’t a response to any specific threat.
* Judge: I’m tired of crooked cops in Chicago
An ex-Chicago cop was sentenced today to almost 11 years in prison for robbing drug dealers — a case that prompted the judge to declare he’s tired of the growing pace of wrongdoing by police officers.
“In this city, it seems to me we are bombarded by stories and cases and prosecutions of police misconduct,” said U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, who imposed the sentence on Richard Doroniuk. “It’s been accelerating . . . It’s very discouraging.”
* Ex-Chicago cop sentenced in corruption case
* Illinois judge arrested for DUI
* Boost for Will County
Honeywell is consolidating two smaller sites, one in Chicago and another in Skokie, into the larger Bolingbrook headquarters. Most of the jobs will be filled with workers who transfer from those locations, said Jeff Morris, president of Honeywell Safety Products. But there will be some open positions now and in the future, he said. Information on job openings is available at www.honeywell.com.
Of the 125 jobs at the site, 75 will be manufacturing spots and 50 will be office workers.
* Hinsdale shopping plan would boost local economy
* This Fourth of July, boom goes bust
Fireworks shows are being canceled or scaled back in some small and midsize cities, as municipalities’ tax revenue dries up. Funding from corporate sponsorships also has fizzled.
Last week, west suburban Berwyn joined North Riverside, Elgin and Gurnee, among others, in canceling their annual shows. North Aurora opted to forego its usual display and instead donated $4,000 to fund neighboring Aurora’s event. Joliet struggled to pay for fireworks, but donors came through. And Woodridge, which put on two nights of fireworks last year, will have only one night this year.
* Joliet residents rally to keep fireworks flying
* Smoking bans extended to more parks in Chicago suburbs
* DuPage County residents rekindle fight against ComEd tree-trimming plan
* Federal judge won’t block BP refinery expansion
HAMMOND, Ind. — A federal judge has rejected a move by environmentalists to stop the $3.8 billion expansion of BP’s oil refinery along Lake Michigan.
The facility is the largest oil refinery in the Midwest. BP has said the expanded refinery would be the nation’s top processor of heavy high-sulfur Canadian crude oil.
* Deer in Illinois: Researchers track culinary clues left by deer in forest preserves
Nearly extinct a century ago in Illinois, deer have adapted to urban environments and are increasingly brazen when tempted with tasty vegetation. Forest preserve managers, like any backyard gardener, don’t want to waste money with plantings that become instant breakfast to a ravenous herd. They hope the university can help them figure out the deer’s gastronomic preferences so they can plant accordingly.
* Brookfield Zoo marks its 75th anniversary
* Sears Tower Skydeck is on top of the world
The Sears Tower Skydeck opens its lure for thrill-seekers Thursday. It’s called the Ledge and it gives the illusion of standing on air a few feet outside the building, 103 stories off the ground.
It could put the Skydeck on the must-see list for tourists, right up there with the museums and Michigan Avenue shopping. It’s supposed to be an engineering marvel.
* We don’t yet know ending of Jackson story
* Michael Jackson lip-synched in 1983 concert
* Gary to host Jackson memorial July 10
posted by Mike Murray
Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 9:40 am
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On Brookfield, there is a Cockatoo named Cookie who was 1 year old when he arrived at the zoo, he is the only animal (bird) to be a charter member.
On Daley supporting Preckwinkle, that’s as good as Todd is out of there. Preckwinkle, another South Side Alderman for CC President will always gets the South Siders out to vote. Also it will get interesting to see who will take over her Ward, 4. When Mayor Daley supports someone, that means so does brother John the 11th district Commissioner and his clan of followers. I wonder if Claypool’s not running meant he knew who the Daley’s would be behind?
On Chicago schools cutting workers, we just heard the other day they loose 25% of the staff each year, so would they have to lay off or not replace?
On DuPage County and tree trimming, how many outages do they have each storm season? If they have less than, let’s say the South Side of Chicago, then maybe ComEd knows what they are doing on the trim trimming front.
Comment by Third Generation Chicago Native Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 10:08 am
Interesting story on the little resurgence in Chicago population. For the better part of the decade, Cook County was hemorhaging people in numbers only surpassed by Orleans Parish, LA (Katrina effect) and Wayne County, MI (Detroit).
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/009756.html
In a sharply less mobile society (caused by economic slowdown, job losses and inability to sell existing homes without incurring a loss) we would expect to see urban centers post modest gains as international immigrants continue to land there, and birth over death rates are still positive.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 10:13 am
I just LOVE Will County and Cook County’s loss is certainly a gain for MY county. Will County IS business friendly and has a functional county government.
Thanks, Todd Stroger.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 11:14 am
Having the perilous mayor daley on one’s side may not necessarily be a good thing right now and in the near future. Sure, he brings money. but, the majority of Chicagoans want his head on a stick! His leadership is an incompetent as Stroger’s, though just not as visibly so until recently. To avoid guilt by association, maybe Toni would have be better off if he had decided to sit this one out as he had the state’s attorney race.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 11:19 am
What a vulgar mess at the totally unnecessary regional sups office!
Who was this Flowers’ clout? What organization is he out of?
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 11:38 am
It has been my understanding that Flowers is Stroger people. Doesn’t he seem like Stroger people? (meaning sleazy)
If I’m wrong on this, I’m sure someone will correct me.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 11:46 am
Strogeronly benefits from not having the corruptmayor on his side.Now he can pain the picture to the black community about how Daley continues to use us. Let me say this to thw uninformed white readers Preckwinkle is not considered ” one of us” She is a pawn in this who could helplose this power seat for all of us. How do Preckwinkle and the Mayor fight but now they are together?????Who cant see through this..the mayor wants her away from him for the Olympics deals but can she win of course not …just take votes away from Stroger
Comment by blackdem Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 11:55 am
will county woman….Are u aware that Will County taxes you at 7 percent? Cook is at 1.75 and has is the 2nd largest county in the nation. So with the city taxes you are at 8 percent…2 pecent behind Cook with many many less services. Just be fair and informed
Comment by blackdem Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 12:02 pm
I think that Daley’s pending endorsement of Preckwinkle is more than just throwing the Toddler under the bus. She’s been a thorn in his side long before the city council began showing faint signs of gumption.
It will be telling, if and when she wins, who she’ll recommend as her replacement, and how King Richie will react.
Comment by The Doc Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 12:32 pm
Oh…tread lightly, blackdem. Todd and Dad benefitted from plantation politics, hence their political careers. There are many blacks who know this, which is why so many of them wanted Danny Davis four years ago.
Of course Beavers represents plantation politics too. I say they should bring it on. Let’s see how far they get with the race/victim card this time. I understand and agree that they will try to portrary Toni as “uppity” to the black masses, and I agree that it will work with some. But, since Obama, it will not work with all.
Outside of his 8th Ward and Provident Hospital, black support for Todd has seriously eroded.
Which ever way Mayor Daley goes, so too does hispanic support. Todd cannot win without significant support froom hispanics; the portion of black votes that he will get will not be enough to overcome the backlash vote. Whites Cook County (western and northern suburbs and those living in the southern suburbs) will defintely NOT vote for Todd Stroger.
And, you’d better believe that white cook county will come out strong against Stoger, rather than sit on ther hands, like the last time, and risk his return.
Todd won’t win in 2010; though I’m sure he will implore every means of cheating that he can; you can bet that the poll numbers from many parts of black chicago will be slow to come in.
Comment by Will County Woman Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 12:46 pm
Federal judge singles out corrupt cops.Sadly his tendency to condemn cops doesn’t include other corrupt officials including judges,politicians,bureaucrats etc. Hopefully he’ll have the decency to excuse himself from any trial of a police officer,after he publicly expressed his bias.-and there will be more trialsthe guy he sentenced deserved it
Comment by mac Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 1:13 pm
Why does’nt Quinn eliminate the Cook County regional superintendent’s office??? Is it because Flowers is from Maywood and is 2nd in command of State Rep. Karen Yarbrough’s Proviso Democratic organization and was put in that postion by yarbrough? Is’nt Yarbrough working with Quinn, her neighbor from Oak Park??
Also, did you know that not only was Flowers supported by Yarbrough, but also by Republican Tony Peraica?? Why is,ny Peraica yelling about the corruption in Flowers office??
I think Peraica and Yarbrough have alot of explaining to do and Quinn should save the taxpayers some money and eliminate this useless office.
If Quinn is serious about cutting employees and services, why does’nt he first cut Flowers office and also cut Township goverment office!
Comment by Quinn,Who are you fooling? Wednesday, Jul 1, 09 @ 6:31 pm
Canceling July 4 fireworks shows is just wrong. It’s Independence Day, the big one. You’d think this was the first recession we’ve experienced.
Now more than ever, people should take some time to come together as a community and celebrate what unites us and how, despite some tough times, we’re all very lucky to live in the time and place that we do. A quick look around the planet and back in history will tell you that.
Pass the hat in the crowd to defray costs, and make ‘em blow up real good.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Jul 2, 09 @ 8:21 am